Understanding Wegovy Dosing

Wegovy contains semaglutide and is available in 6 different doses:

Each dose is available as its own pen, so you do not need to adjust the dose yourself like with other weight loss pens.

*7.2 mg has to be made up using 3 doses of 2.4 mg until the 7.2 mg pen is available.

The starting dose for most people on Wegovy is 0.25 mg. You take this for at least 4 weeks before moving up to the next dose. The starting dose is designed for your body to get used to the medicine, so while you might not lose much weight, your body will start to adjust to the treatment.

Your starting dose may be different if you are switching from another weight loss injection (e.g. Mounjaro). You may start on the equivalent dose of your old weight loss pen or go up a dose if it is suitable for you. For example, if you are on 5 mg of Mounjaro, you can switch to the 1 mg or 1.7 mg dose of Wegovy.

Your maintenance dose is the lowest possible dose that is effective. For most people, this is around 1.7 or 2.4 mg once a week. However, it may be lower or higher based on your individual needs.

If you experience side effects on higher doses, I typically recommend a lower maintenance dose. Alternatively, if you haven’t lost much weight on the lower dose, you may need a higher maintenance dose.

The highest dose of Wegovy is known as Wegovy HD. It contains 7.2 mg of semaglutide. I only recommend this dose for people who:

Most people will not need the highest dose. They can comfortably and safely lose weight on the 1.7 or 2.4 mg doses.

Each pen contains 4 doses of semaglutide. You use one pen once a week, so each pen will last you 4 weeks. So, if you are using the 0.25 mg pen, it contains 4 doses of 0.25 mg. After that, you discard the pen and start a new one, which is typically the next dose up.

Wegovy is designed to help you lose weight gradually. The dosing is also built up gradually, allowing your body to get used to the treatment.

The typical dosage schedule of Wegovy looks like this:

As everyone’s weight loss journey is different, your individual dosage schedule may differ from this.

You need to take each Wegovy pen for at least 4 weeks before you can move up to the next dose. But you don’t always have to increase your dose once you finish a pen!

Some reasons you may want to stay on the same dose include:

I recommend that the right maintenance dose of Wegovy will be the lowest dose that helps you achieve desirable weight loss results.

When you increase your Wegovy dose, you should feel stronger effects of the medicine. You may feel less hungry, feel full more quickly or even experience accelerated weight loss.

It may also temporarily cause side effects such as nausea or constipation. This is because your body has to readjust to the new dose of medicine. But side effects should get better within a week or two, and lessen after each dose increase.

Missing a dose of Wegovy is normal, and you shouldn’t panic. You can likely take the pen as soon as you remember.